ME Man Zachary McKechnie ID’d As Victim In Saturday Penobscot Fatal Ejection Crash

PENOBSCOT, ME. (THECOUNT) — Zachary McKechnie, of Castine, Maine, was killed Saturday morning after being ejected from his vehicle during a rollover crash on Front Ridge Road in Penobscot, the Hancock County Sheriff’s Office confirmed.

McKechnie was 36.

According to Hancock County Sheriff’s Office Lt. Dakota Dupuis, the Hancock Regional Communications Center received a call at 7:46 a.m. reporting the crash. McKechnie was driving a 2003 Volkswagen Jetta northwestbound on Front Ridge Road toward Orland when the vehicle left the roadway, returned to the roadway, and rolled before coming to rest. McKechnie was ejected from the vehicle during the crash and died as a result of his injuries.

Lt. Dupuis stated that speed and alcohol are believed to be contributing factors in the crash.

The primary investigating officer is Detective Dylan Hall. He was assisted on scene by Lt. Dupuis, Sgt. Travis Frost, Deputy Wyatt Lord, and Deputy Taylor Keeran. The crash is being reconstructed by Sgt. Marcus Downes and remains under investigation.

Also responding to the scene were the Blue Hill Fire Department, the Penobscot Fire Department, and the Orland Fire Department.

Penobscot is a small town in Hancock County in the Downeast region of Maine, situated on the Blue Hill Peninsula. The town is bordered by the communities of Orland to the northwest, Castine to the south, and Brooksville to the southwest. Front Ridge Road is a rural two-lane road running through the wooded, rolling terrain characteristic of the Blue Hill Peninsula.

Bucksport, where McKechnie resided, is a town in Hancock County situated at the mouth of the Bucksport Narrows on the Penobscot River, approximately 10 miles northwest of Penobscot. The town serves as one of the larger communities in the region, with a population of approximately 4,500 residents.

Hancock County covers a large swath of coastal and inland Maine, encompassing communities from Ellsworth — the county seat — east to the Schoodic Peninsula and south through the Blue Hill Peninsula to the islands of Penobscot Bay. The county is predominantly rural, with many of its roads running through forested terrain with limited roadside barriers, conditions that can amplify the danger of single-vehicle rollover crashes.

Ejection from a vehicle during a crash is among the most life-threatening outcomes in any traffic incident. According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, occupants ejected from a vehicle are significantly more likely to sustain fatal injuries than those who remain inside. Seat belt use is the primary factor in preventing ejection during a rollover.

No other vehicles were involved in the crash. No additional injuries were reported.

A Google Maps link to the approximate crash location on Front Ridge Road in Penobscot can be found here: Front Ridge Road, Penobscot, Maine (approximate).

DEVELOPING::